Student artwork, essays on display this weekend

Artwork and essays by students throughout Fort Wayne Community Schools will be on display this weekend at the Fort Wayne History Center, 302 E. Berry St., for the annual Fort Wayne Area PTA Council's Reflections and Citizenship Essay Showcase. The work will be on display from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8.
The Reflections program is open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade. This year's theme is Diversity Means Students expressed themselves through literature, visual art, photography, dance choreography, film and video production, and musical composition. The best projects from each school will be displayed in the Showcase before being sent to the state competition later this spring.
School winners of the Citizenship Essay contest will also be on display. The essay contest is open to students in fourth through 12th grades. This year's theme is I Love Being an American Because The essays on display this weekend also will be entered in the state competition.
Each year, several FWCS winners go on to become state winners. The Showcase event is free and open to the public. After viewing the students' work, visitors can stay at the History Center and enjoy the exhibits for free.

With nearly 30,000 students, Fort Wayne Community Schools is one of the largest school districts in Indiana. FWCS proudly allows families to choose any of its 50 schools through its successful school-choice program creating diversity in each school, including some with more than 75 languages spoken. FWCS offers seven magnet schools focusing on areas such as science and math, communication, fine arts or Montessori at the elementary and middle school level. In high school, students can choose from the prestigious International Baccalaureate program, Project Lead the Way or New Tech Academy as well as other rigorous academic and specialty training programs.